Microsoft takes on Apple's iPad with Windows 8

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) previewed its new Windows 8 operating system, touted as the first version of Windows optimized for both PCs and tablets. "We re-imagined Windows," Microsoft's Windows Division president Steven Sinofsky said. "From the chipset to the user experience, Windows 8 brings a new range of capabilities without compromise." Windows 8 includes Metro, a new touchscreen user interface closely resembling Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS for smartphones. Vendors including Dell and Samsung have already said they will release tablets based on the new OS, and some pundits are saying the platform poses a genuine threat to Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) pacesetting iPad. Article